Toyota Corolla top-selling passenger model
Sales of SUVs and utes continued to surge last month as the New Zealand motor industry enjoyed yet another month of record sales.
Toyota remained the passenger car market leader during July, with 17 per cent of sales, followed by Mazda (9 per cent) and Holden with 8 per cent, according to Motor Industry Association figures released this week.
The Toyota Corolla was the top-selling passenger model during July, with 486 vehicles, or 6 per cent, of the market.
The Kia Sportage was second.
Toyota remained the overall market leader during July, with Ford second and Holden third.
Kia Sportage
David Crawford, the chief executive of the association, said the strongest net immigration on record, a healthy tourism sector and a robust economy continued to drive new vehicle sales.
Along with record sales numbers, the trend towards SUVs continued, with the number of SUVs sold continuing to outstrip all other passenger vehicle segments.
During July there were 7702 passenger and SUV registrations, and 3868 commercial vehicles registered. Toyota sold 1321 vehicles, Mazda 686, and Holden 663.
Ford regained the commercial vehicle market lead from Toyota with a 25 per cent share (972 units) followed by Toyota with 18 per cent (703 units) and Holden with 8 per cent (317 units).
In the year to date, Ford and Toyota have 21 per cent of the commercial market each, with Ford holding a slight lead with 5357 units registered to date and Toyota 5318 units.
The Ford Ranger retained its position as the monthly top selling commercial model for July, with 24 per cent market share (925 units), and it was the top selling model overall during July.
Toyota Corolla
It also set a new record for the number of light commercial vehicles sold in a month. The previous highest monthly sales of a light commercial model was the Toyota Hilux in June 2014 with 847 units. The Hilux was the second best commercial seller with 13 per cent market share (486 units) with the Holden Colorado at 8 per cent (303 units).
Year to date, the Ford Ranger retains its lead as the top selling commercial model with 20 per cent market share (4925 units) followed by the Toyota Hilux, with 15 per cent market share (3749 units).
The SUV segments accounted for 34 per cent of vehicle registrations in July, followed by passenger segments with 32 per cent, and the light commercial segments with 28 per cent share. During July, the top models sold where either SUVs or light commercial vehicles, with only three passenger models making the top 15.
Crawford said SUV sales accounted for only 12 per cent of the market in 2001, and 18 per cent during the global financial crisis. However, by the end of this year it was likely to be 37 per cent of the market.